Paper Moon
by krystalMage
Summary: AU. Ten years after witnessing his family's destruction at the hands of the Regent, Kenshin returns to Kyoto where intrigue, love and calamity await him. A mysterious girl guides him through Kyoto's maze of deception and betrayal. KK.


**Summary: **A promise brings Kenshin to Kyoto; intrigue, love and calamity await him there. Loyalty and courage will be tested in an attempt to save all that is noble and precious. KK.

**Disclaimer**: This is purely for fun and entertainment because Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro.

**Rating**: T. the rating may go up in later chapters.

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**Paper Moon**

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**Prologue**

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The lilting songs of the women working in the rice fields floated gently on the evening breeze. The sun was setting, its red hue embracing the world one last time before sinking below the horizon. One by one, the men and women working in the fields were making their way back to the village. The crickets were chirping, the toads were croaking in the ponds, and everything was right with the world.

A little boy sat outside the village elder's house. He watched rapt in attention as an earthworm wriggled across the ground in front of him. He would move along with it each time it wriggled past him. His red hair was tied in a low ponytail at his neck. He was small and slightly built for his age. Pushing his little fists against his cheeks, he sat without making a sound, completely captivated by the earthworm.

As the villagers walked past the elder's house, they looked at him curiously. A few smiled at his preoccupation. He was a strange child. They didn't know what to make of him. He had burst into their lives on a balmy summer night. The villagers had found him lying abandoned in a ditch beyond the fields; he had been bruised and injured. Despite their reservations, they brought him to the village elder who decided to heal and care for the boy.

There was no change in the boy's condition for a long time. He didn't respond to any medicine they gave him. A deathly calm stretched across his face and he lay still. They had given him up for dead many times but he survived, night after night, tricking them, cheating them out of the grief they were so ready to embrace.

He lived. And became a part of their lives.

He never spoke much. In fact, most of them hadn't even heard his voice. They didn't need to. The boy's eyes spoke for him. They would gleam in happiness; deepen in thought and remembrance, subtly changing hue from violet to indigo. The villagers had never seen such eyes; they were fascinated and frightened by them in turns. 'Demon child' some would sneer, 'angel' others would quip. He had survived despite death's shadow flooding his face. He was a stranger and a foreigner, alien to their peaceful and slumbering existence. And so, they kept their distance.

A young woman appeared at the door of the elder's house. She was one of his three daughters. She looked around as though she were searching for something. Her eyes stopped when she spotted the red-haired boy sitting outside. Smiling, she turned and beckoned her sisters. The three girls laughed softly as they watched him. The eldest giggled. Suddenly aware of the late hour, she nudged the other two inside and went to fetch the child home.

She tiptoed over to where he sat and swiftly scooped him up in her arms, swinging him around. The boy yelped.

"Kasumi! Put me down, put me down!" He shouted as she kept spinning him around, her hair flying, laughing as she heard his protests. Some of the children playing outside stopped to watch, they laughed with her.

"Are you sure Shinta?" She asked, laughing.

"Yes!! Put me down!" She swung him two more times and then complied. The children hung their shoulders, disappointed.

"Were you scared?" She set him down on the ground softly and sat down next to him, stroking his bangs back in place, putting a few stray tendrils behind his ears so they didn't get in his eyes.

"No. Just surprised." He looked up at her, smiling. The girl smiled back. He was a very loving child. Gentle, soft-spoken and very shy. She remembered when he had been brought to her father. She had been very skeptical regarding his recovery. She tended to him but refused to care for him because she knew that he would die. She didn't want to experience the aching loneliness of losing a life; the feeling became all the more acute when the life concerned was the life of a child.

But he lived, and returned to health. He forced his way back from certain death and for that, Kasumi loved him. He followed her around everywhere she went. He would not speak even a word but simply joined her in whatever task occupied her.

She stood up. "Come on, its time to eat." She held her hand out to the small child and he hesitantly took it. She pulled him up to his feet. They turned and walked towards the house, his small hand clasped firmly in hers.

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There was nothing to suggest that today would be any different from yesterday. The chores were finished and the twilight sky promised a cool breeze in which to rest the night. Kasumi finished cleaning and putting away whatever was left of dinner. She slid the door to the kitchen shut and went to bid good night to her father. Her sisters had already gone to sleep. Gently, she opened the door to his room. He was sitting with his back towards her, looking out into the night. He stiffened as she stepped in.

"Kasumi? Is that you?" He asked. She sat with her legs folded.

"Yes Father."

"Have Akane and Sakura gone to sleep?"

"Yes."

"I see. What about Shinta?"

"Shinta must be with them."

"I see." He looked out of the window once more. "He still doesn't answer any questions about his past."

"He's not very comfortable talking about that, and he's happy here. I think he's just trying to forget. He was badly injured when we found him. I don't blame him for not wanting to talk about it."

"I understand that Kasumi, but we should know something about him. These are troubled times. Children all across the country are disappearing, kidnapped by rogue swordsmen. You've heard the stories, haven't you? The Regent's men kidnap little boys and girls and turn them into assassins to do his bidding. If Shinta is one of these children, we must find out and tell his family."

Kasumi was silent. Her father glanced at her and sighed.

"Kasumi, I understand that you have developed a fondness for the boy, but keeping him here without inquiring about any family he has, is like stooping to the level of the people he escaped from. Do you understand?"

Kasumi bent her head so that he could not see tears slowly forming in her eyes. "Yes Father. I understand. I will ask him again. Good night."

"Good night Kasumi. It's for his best, you know. And if he doesn't have anyone then he is welcome in this house, you know that. "

Kasumi quietly retreated to the room she shared with her sisters and now, Shinta. In the dark of the room, she could see the faint outlines of three bodies bunched up together under a blanket. She quickly changed into an old yukata and lay down.

She could hear the call of the crickets as they chattered busily amongst themselves. Wolves howled far away in the distance. She sighed.

"Kasumi, are you awake?" Shinta whispered. He was standing at the edge of the futon where Akane and Sakura lay huddled together.

Kasumi sat up and looked at him. "Why are you still awake? You were supposed to be asleep."

Shinta smiled. "I couldn't sleep, even after Akane told me two stories."

Kasumi lay down once more. "Go to sleep Shinta."

"But we can play outside."

"I have to wake early tomorrow. Go to sleep."

"Why?"

"Because I have chores."

"Why?"

"Because I have certain responsibilities."

"Why?"

Kasumi groaned. "Shinta, go to sleep."

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Two riders stood atop a hill looking over the sleepy village. They were dressed in black from head to toe and carried long, cruel swords. They hid their faces with cloth masks. Their eyes glinted like steel in the dark night.

They looked towards the village. A torch burned at the gate of every house. The watchman dragged his stick and whistled after ten paces, calling out to other watchmen, warning them to stay alert. The horsemen glanced at each other. There were only three watchmen; they would be easy to take care of.

"You know which house it is, don't you?"

"The village headman's. I've sent word; the others should be here soon."

The first rider smiled, showing a set of gleaming teeth capped with gold. "These kids are stupid. You'd think they would learn not to run."

The second rider leaned forward. "They never get very far."

"This one almost did."

"Well they want him alive, or else it would be easy to stick his head on a spike for the others. That'd teach them."

They turned at the sound of horses behind them. At least twenty horsemen were now collected together at the crown of the hill. The first two signaled to the rest and the company reined their horses in, charging down the hill towards the village.

Their instructions were clear.

_Find the boy with red hair and violet eyes. Bring him back. And if anyone tries to get in the way, kill them and torch the village._

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**Author Note**

Hello everyone. I had been planning to begin this story for ages now. And since none of the others will be over any time soon, I thought I might as well begin this one while it's still fresh in my mind.

Please comment and let me know what you think about it so far. The new chapters will be updated soon.


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